Does Instant Ocean Natural Nitrate Reducer work

[Steven31922]

I have a nitrate issue and i want something that will bring the nitrates down as i look for the source of the nitrates. Can this product help the nitrates for a short term treatment.

 

[biophilia]

It’s just an organic carbon source which feeds heterotrophic bacteria. How old is your tank? While it may work, it’s generally not a good idea unless your tank is well-established because it can throw your nitrifying bacteria out of whack.

It’s also not really a good short-term solution because carbon dosing requires weeks to begin working and stopping it suddenly can crash the bacterial population you’re building up by dosing. A much simpler and safer solution to lower nitrates is just to do a large water change. What is your NO3 level currently?

 

[Steven31922]

It’s just an organic carbon source which feeds heterotrophic bacteria. How old is your tank? While it may work, it’s generally not a good idea unless your tank is well-established because it can throw your nitrifying bacteria out of whack.

It’s also not really a good short-term solution because carbon dosing requires weeks to begin working and stopping it suddenly can crash the bacterial population you’re building up by dosing. A much simpler and safer solution to lower nitrates is just to do a large water change. What is your NO3 level currently?

I just tested my Nitrates its about 120ppm and the fish tank is around 1 years old, you think if i add this it would be a long term solution? Also I've been doing big amounts of water changes for awhile with no answer. I just to make sure this product is safe because i have read reviews that the fish died the next day and i want to know if it actually works.

 

[biophilia]

I just tested my Nitrates its about 120ppm and the fish tank is around 1 years old, you think if i add this it would be a long term solution? Also I've been doing big amounts of water changes for awhile with no answer. I just to make sure this product is safe because i have read reviews that the fish died the next day and i want to know if it actually works.

If your nitrates are running that high and not coming down with water changes it's probably a good idea to try this product or some other form of carbon dosing and think of it more as a slow, long-term solution than a quick fix (this product will work fine, but regular white vinegar or vodka might be a cheaper long-term solution FIY).

The fish deaths you're reading about are probably being caused by people dosing too much too quickly. That'll cause a huge bacterial bloom which will deplete oxygen from the water and suffocate the fish. To keep that from happening you need a protein skimmer running 24x7 in your system (or, at a bare minimum, lots of surface agitation from an airstone). It's also best to dose it while the tank lights have been on for a little while because that's when oxygen in the water is highest.

Start the dosage slow (to be safe do something like half of the recommended dose on the bottle and ramp up over the course of a month or two by increasing the dose a bit every few days. The goal is to very slowly build up beneficial heterotrophic bacteria in your tank by feeding this product. Over time they'll bring your nitrates down and eventually once you get your nitrate levels in check, you cut back on the dosage (by maybe half or so) and continue to dose it indefinitely as a maintenance dose to keep the bacteria you built up from dying off and causing nitrate to rise again. It's a great solution as long as you think of it as a slow-but-steady thing rather than a quick fix. If you want more info, search "carbon dosing" or "vinegar dosing" on this forum.

 

[jda]

Read up on organic carbon dosing. It can be safe. It can be a killer. Learn, go slow and be smart and you will likely be ok.

...and I don't mean read the directions on the back of the bottle as the only way to learn.

 

[Steven31922]

If your nitrates are running that high and not coming down with water changes it's probably a good idea to try this product or some other form of carbon dosing and think of it more as a slow, long-term solution than a quick fix (this product will work fine, but regular white vinegar or vodka might be a cheaper long-term solution FIY).

The fish deaths you're reading about are probably being caused by people dosing too much too quickly. That'll cause a huge bacterial bloom which will deplete oxygen from the water and suffocate the fish. To keep that from happening you need a protein skimmer running 24x7 in your system (or, at a bare minimum, lots of surface agitation from an airstone). It's also best to dose it while the tank lights have been on for a little while because that's when oxygen in the water is highest.

Start the dosage slow (to be safe do something like half of the recommended dose on the bottle and ramp up over the course of a month or two by increasing the dose a bit every few days. The goal is to very slowly build up beneficial heterotrophic bacteria in your tank by feeding this product. Over time they'll bring your nitrates down and eventually once you get your nitrate levels in check, you cut back on the dosage (by maybe half or so) and continue to dose it indefinitely as a maintenance dose to keep the bacteria you built up from dying off and causing nitrate to rise again. It's a great solution as long as you think of it as a slow-but-steady thing rather than a quick fix. If you want more info, search "carbon dosing" or "vinegar dosing" on this forum.

Perfect, I just ordered it online and its coming in two days. i have seen articles where they dont work so would i add it in my fish tank directly or add it in my fitler

 

[Steven31922]

If your nitrates are running that high and not coming down with water changes it's probably a good idea to try this product or some other form of carbon dosing and think of it more as a slow, long-term solution than a quick fix (this product will work fine, but regular white vinegar or vodka might be a cheaper long-term solution FIY).

The fish deaths you're reading about are probably being caused by people dosing too much too quickly. That'll cause a huge bacterial bloom which will deplete oxygen from the water and suffocate the fish. To keep that from happening you need a protein skimmer running 24x7 in your system (or, at a bare minimum, lots of surface agitation from an airstone). It's also best to dose it while the tank lights have been on for a little while because that's when oxygen in the water is highest.

Start the dosage slow (to be safe do something like half of the recommended dose on the bottle and ramp up over the course of a month or two by increasing the dose a bit every few days. The goal is to very slowly build up beneficial heterotrophic bacteria in your tank by feeding this product. Over time they'll bring your nitrates down and eventually once you get your nitrate levels in check, you cut back on the dosage (by maybe half or so) and continue to dose it indefinitely as a maintenance dose to keep the bacteria you built up from dying off and causing nitrate to rise again. It's a great solution as long as you think of it as a slow-but-steady thing rather than a quick fix. If you want more info, search "carbon dosing" or "vinegar dosing" on this forum.

 

[Steven31922]

Also I have an airstone thats all i need right?

 

[Steven31922]

Read up on organic carbon dosing. It can be safe. It can be a killer. Learn, go slow and be smart and you will likely be ok.

...and I don't mean read the directions on the back of the bottle as the only way to learn.

I will use half of the recommended amount that the bottle tells me to

 

[Steven31922]

It’s just an organic carbon source which feeds heterotrophic bacteria. How old is your tank? While it may work, it’s generally not a good idea unless your tank is well-established because it can throw your nitrifying bacteria out of whack.

It’s also not really a good short-term solution because carbon dosing requires weeks to begin working and stopping it suddenly can crash the bacterial population you’re building up by dosing. A much simpler and safer solution to lower nitrates is just to do a large water change. What is your NO3 level currently?

Wait i just read this again are you saying for the future i would have to keep buying this product to keep the fish tank from crashing?

 

[jda]

I will use half of the recommended amount that the bottle tells me to

You have a very high level of failing and killing things if this is the only effort that you are putting into this. Organic carbon dosing is a complicated procedure that requires knowledge.

At least read and understand this:

Reefkeeping Magazine - Vinegar Dosing Methodology for the Marine Aquarium

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

Better to read more. This is no short term remedy, but takes daily and consistent commitment over a long period of time.

 

[biophilia]

Reading back over my initial response, I think I was not clear enough. This product is a form of carbon dosing. Like all carbon dosing, it has to be done extremely carefully and shouldn't be attempted without a lot of research first. It is also something that is meant to be used indefinitely once you start. It's also going to be a lot more dangerous (and potentially less effective) since you don't have a protein skimmer. If your nitrates are that high, your tank probably has too high of a bioload. You may need to consider investing in a protein skimmer, feeding less, getting rid of some of your animals, etc.

 

[Steven31922]

Reading back over my initial response, I think I was not clear enough. This product is a form of carbon dosing. Like all carbon dosing, it has to be done extremely carefully and shouldn't be attempted without a lot of research first. It is also something that is meant to be used indefinitely once you start. It's also going to be a lot more dangerous (and potentially less effective) since you don't have a protein skimmer. If your nitrates are that high, your tank probably has too high of a bioload. You may need to consider investing in a protein skimmer, feeding less, getting rid of some of your animals, etc.

Do you want me to return it then? Its shipping right now so it is coming tmr and i can just return it but what do you think i should do